TV 2 secures huge deal to broadcast and stream thousands of handball and ice hockey matches

Vipers Nora MørkVipers Nora Mørk.Photo: Carina Johansen / NTB

TV 2 has secured the rights to show matches at all the top levels in Norwegian handball and ice hockey for the next ten years.

Additionally, the channel’s rights agreement provides the opportunity to stream amateur matches on a large scale, a press release on Thursday revealed.

The agreements with the Norwegian Handball Association and the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association provide exclusive viewing rights for both elite and amateur matches until 2030.

Automated and intelligent camera solutions will make it possible to stream many thousands of matches a year. 

That will provide increased attention and new income opportunities for the amateur and grassroots levels of Norwegian sports.

“With automated cameras, we reduce production costs to a level where we can potentially stream several hundred thousand matches a year,” Harald Strømme of TV2’s partner My Game said.

A major agreement

CEO and Editor-in-Chief of TV 2 Olav T. Sandnes described the agreement as an important strategic investment for the channel as a public broadcaster and a great opportunity for sports.

“This is not just about rights, but about long-term partnerships that will lift both the top and the amateurs of handball and ice hockey in Norway,” Sandnes said.

The Handball Association and the Ice Hockey Association also expressed their satisfaction with the new agreement.

The Handball Association’s Commercial Manager Jan-Erik Aalbu described the media agreement as a historic one for Norwegian handball. 

“The fact that it will apply to all seasons from 2022/2023 to 2029/2030 ensures both ours and the clubs’ stability,” Aalbu said.

New revenue streams

Ice hockey President Tage Pettersen also commented on the agreement, saying that it was unprecedented in terms of duration and financial scale. 

“That gives us good stability so that we can build Norwegian ice hockey further,” he said to hockey.no.

“What pleases me most is that we can now show both our national teams, top hockey for both sexes, and the amateurs on the same platform. In this way, Norwegian ice hockey will be stable and easily accessible to everyone,” Pettersen added.

In a press release from TV 2, Strømme stated that a broad offer would be prepared, the likes of which the public has never seen before. 

He also noted that Norwegian sports clubs would get new and unprecedented income streams.

“In conjunction with this, we will be forming a broad collaboration with clubs, sports circles, and local media,” Pettersen said.

The broadcasting will take place without either clubs or associations having to invest in production equipment.

© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today

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